Sanya-Jeet Thandi, 21, who was once one of the rising stars of Ukip, has quit today calling the party's latest advertising campaign 'racist'

A UKIP poster girl described by Nigel Farage as a ‘rising star’ has quit after describing it as a ‘racist’ and ‘terrifying’ party that she cannot vote for.

Sanya-Jeet Thandi, 21, a British-born Indian who had starred in a party election broadcast and spoken at its annual conference, accused Ukip of deliberately attracting racist voters.

The university student said the party had abandoned its core supporters and called on others to end their memberships and boycott the upcoming European elections.

Just days after she appeared on Channel 4 News to defend the party, Miss Thandi said she had quit as it has ‘descended into a form of racist populism’.

She said: ‘The direction in which the party is going is terrifying. This week I decided to leave the party and I will abstain from voting in the upcoming European elections. I urge other Ukip supporters to do the same.

‘Ukip is exploiting the stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters for electoral gain. While the party deliberately attracts the racist vote, I refuse to be associated with them.’

Privately-educated Miss Thandi, who was previously chairman of its youth wing in London, specifically attacked one of its campaign posters for next week’s elections, which reads: ‘26 million people in Europe are looking for work. And whose jobs are they after?’

‘The poster epitomises where the party is going wrong,’ she wrote in the blog post for the Guardian website.

Scroll down for video

Ms Thnadi, who has previously spoken at party conferences, said Ukip was exploiting 'the stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters for electoral gain'

‘This anti-immigrant campaign undermines Ukip's claim not to be a racist party. They are turning the election into a game of "us" and "them". Well, I am with "them".

‘Having worked so hard to help Ukip rid themselves of their "racist" label and denying comparisons to the BNP, this direction of campaigning really isn't doing my former colleagues any favours.’

Miss Thandi's accusations come less than a week after Mr Farage appeared alongside of black and ethnic minority candidates at a rally in London, in an attempt to shake off claims Ukip is racist.

Miss Thandi, who grew up in Kent and was born to Punjabi parents, has been a prominent member of UKIP appearing in a party election broadcast last year and speaking twice at its annual conference.

Appearing in a YouTube video with Miss Thandi, Mr Farage said: ‘Sanya, you’re 18-years-old and you’re a rising star in the party. At the conference you were the most popular speaker so I’m going to have to watch my step, aren’t I, as time goes on.’

In a newspaper interview, Miss Thandi described Mr Farage a 'a babe' and said Godfrey Bloom was ‘cute and so kind and hilarious, he just says things for the reaction. Lovely guy but a bit misunderstood.’

Ukip has been hit by a string of embarrassing comments from candidates in the last few weeks. One member who featured in the party’s election broadcast was suspended after saying Ed Miliband was ‘not a real Brit’ and describing Islam as an ‘evil organisation’. Another supporter said Lenny Henry, the comedian, should emigrate to a “black country”.

Appearing at a rally last week Mr Farage said that ‘there will always be a few people who creep over the line and cause us embarrassment’, but that the party did not welcome those with extremist or offensive views.

Standing on stage flanked by black and ethnic minority councillors and candidates, he said: ‘From this moment on please do not ever call us a racist party. We are not a racist party.’